Demographics
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1895 | 11,829 | — |
| 1907 | 7,787 | −34.2% |
| 1920 | 7,424 | −4.7% |
| 1930 | 6,929 | −6.7% |
| 1940 | 6,570 | −5.2% |
| 1952 | 7,150 | +8.8% |
| 1960 | 5,724 | −19.9% |
| 1970 | 5,459 | −4.6% |
| 1982 | 8,844 | +62.0% |
| 1992 | 10,510 | +18.8% |
| 2002 | 12,392 | +17.9% |
| 2012 | 12,866 | +3.8% |
| Source: National Statistics Institute/Pro-O'Higgins | ||
By the 17th century, Pichilemu had 1,468 inhabitants. In 1787, Pichilemu held 1,688 inhabitants, and the population rose to 11,829 by 1895. From there onward, the city's population progressively decreased: 7,787 inhabitants in 1907; 7,424 in 1920; 6,929 in 1930; and 6,570 in 1940. In 1952, the city's population increased to 7,150 inhabitants; however, the 1960 census showed it decreased to 5,724 inhabitants, and to 5,459 in 1970. The number of people in Pichilemu reached 8,844 in 1982, and in 1992, 10,510. As of the 2002 census, the population comprised 12,392 people, and 6,228 households.
The 2002 census classified 9,459 people (76.3%) as living in an urban area and 2,933 people (23.7%) as living in a rural area, with 6,440 men (52.0%) and 5,952 women (48.0%). According to the 2002 Casen survey, 544 inhabitants (4.4%) of the population live in extreme poverty compared to the average in the greater O'Higgins Region of 4.5%, and 1,946 inhabitants (15.7%) live in mild poverty, compared to the regional average of 16.1%.
The National Statistics Institute of Chile has estimated that, as of 2010, there were 14,302 inhabitants in the city; classifying a 78.96% of them as living in an urban area and a 21.04% as living in a rural area, with 7,499 men (52.4%) and 6,803 women (47.5%); the population density was estimated as 19.09 per square mile. In 2012, as published in the website of the Library of the National Congress of Chile, the population of Pichilemu is estimated to be around 15,153 inhabitants; 7,957 men, and 7,196 women. However, a document by the National Statistics Institute showing the preliminary results of the 2012 census stated there were only 12,866 inhabitants in Pichilemu, only a 5.9 per cent more since the 2002 census; additionally, the document said there were 10,451 households, a 67.8 per cent more than the previous census.
Most of the people from Pichilemu are Catholic, specifically 7,611 persons (83.44%), well above the national and regional average (69.96% and 79.08%, respectively); the evangelical population is considerably lower, at only 689 people (7.55%); 361 (3.96%) said they were Atheists or Agnostic individuals, while the remaining 460 (5.04%) are part of other religions. Based on information from the Casen survey, 24 persons living in Pichilemu declared themselves as Aymaras in 2006, and in 2009, 390 people said they were part of the Mapuche indigenous ethnic group; the survey revealed there is no one living in Pichilemu belonging either to the Atacameños nor the Rapa Nui indigenous.
Read more about this topic: Pichilemu